Gary's walk with Derrick
MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- A man inserts a dollar into the jukebox under the Stax poster, and a Jerry Lee Lewis hit recorded at Sun Studio blares from the speakers, that opening piano note unmistakable, undeniable, and uninhibited like "The Killer" himself.
On the wall by the register are newspaper clips with headlines declaring "Tigers take it to 'em" and "Blue Heaven," and in the air hangs the scent of slow cooked pork, the kind Central BBQ advertises right on those plastic cups.
So regardless of the preferred sense -- sight, sound or smell -- it's hard to mistake this is Memphis.
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| Humble Derrick Rose has coach Calipari wanting him 'to be more selfish.' (Getty Images) |
He's soaking it up.
He's smiling.
"I wish the season could've started right when I got off the plane," Rose says. "But I've got to wait a couple more months."
More like five months, to be exact. But it's easy to lose track of time while having lunch and trying to make sure nothing is left on the bone. Performing otherwise with a rack of ribs is a sin in this city, like not loving your mama or calling her ma'am. So Rose does the best he can, gets full, gets up and gets a look at his white shorts that are now stained with a combination of famous sauce and rub.
"Ahh," Rose sighs. "It's all over me."
A freshman mistake, to be sure.
But rest assured, Memphis fans, he's gonna learn fast.
"Our ultimate goal is to win the national championship"
There is no shortage of reasons why Memphis sits atop CBS SportsLine.com's preseason college basketball rankings. Back-to-back Elite Eights and five returning starters are two of the major ones, but perhaps the most important is the recent arrival of the guy with the stained shorts -- not to mention quick first-step, deadly crossover and overall athleticism that packaged together has some projecting Rose as the No. 1 pick of the 2008 NBA Draft.
